Tag Archives: Shore Boulevard

After the life of a 21-year-old woman was cut short last month on her way home, one local politician is putting his foot down and asking Astoria residents to join the fight to bring safety improvements in and around Astoria Park.

Councilman Costa Constantinides started a petition Monday calling for improvements to be made on streets such as Shore Boulevard, Ditmars Boulevard, 19th Street and Hoyt Avenue South.

“The streets surrounding Astoria Park are a dangerous stretch for pedestrians. The corridor is used by many families and children on the way to the park. All the while, many motorists race to and from the park at high rates of speed. A recent hit-and-run death that occurred in the area shows that we need better traffic safety,” Constantinides said. “We have made great strides recently in calming traffic in Astoria through safety improvements on 21st Street south of Hoyt Avenue and through the upcoming slow zone south of Astoria Boulevard. That’s why I have started a petition to support traffic improvements on the streets in and around Astoria Park. I look forward to working with DOT to make Astoria a safer place to live.”

The petition comes after Betty DiBiasio was struck on June 28 by a car as she was crossing a marked crosswalk at the intersection of Ditmars Boulevard and 19th Street, just blocks from her home.

The car, which was being driven by 24-year-old Astoria resident Nicholas Colleran, drove through a stop sign and then struck DiBiasio, according to officials.

Colleran allegedly called 911 about an hour after the accident to report that his car had been stolen and in his vehicle theft investigation report claimed it had been taken from a parking lot in the back of his residence. The vehicle was discovered in another location in Astoria with a broken windshield and driver’s side-view mirror, and a damaged driver’s side front fender.

There also appeared to be blood and hair in the driver’s side windshield, where it was broken, and, according to Queens District Attorney Richard Brown, was consistent with a vehicle striking a pedestrian and the pedestrian hitting the windshield.

Colleran then turned himself into the police where he admitted that he had two beers before driving and striking DiBiasio and then leaving the scene.

He was charged with leaving the scene of an incident without reporting a death, third-degree falsely reporting an incident, failure to stop for a stop sign, driving by an unlicensed operator, failure to exercise due care and a violation of the city’s administrative code.

A car crashed into the East River just blocks away from a fatal accident where four people lost their lives Friday night, police said.

The vehicle was traveling on 20th Avenue and Shore Boulevard in Astoria about 4 a.m. Saturday when it went through a fence and entered the water, according to the NYPD.

When cops arrived, the vehicle’s four passengers were out of the river and told police that the driver fled the scene. They were then taken to Mount Sinai Queens where they were treated and released, officials said.

Police are investigating a body discovered in the East River near Astoria Monday morning.

The unidentified man, who is approximately 40 to 50 years old, was found floating in the water about 7:50 a.m. in the vicinity of Shore Boulevard between Ditmars Boulevard and Astoria Park South, cops said.

He was removed from the river and pronounced dead at the scene, police said.

The cause of death has yet to be determined and the investigation is ongoing, according to the NYPD.

A man who was arrested last week for keeping a large arsenal of guns, ammo and other dangerous weapons in his Astoria home was arraigned over the weekend and received a $1 million bail, according to court records.

What first led police to the suspect’s apartment was an incident on August 26, where gunshots were fired into the air in front of 20-11 Shore Boulevard, said police.

Later that week, the suspect, Michael Millazzo, 53, was identified through video surveillance and a search warrant was issued for his Astoria apartment at the same Shore Boulevard address.

According to the NYPD, when authorities searched his apartment on August 31 they found a large cache of weapons that included two firearms, 26 magazines, 10,537 rounds of ammunition, 32 machetes, 60 knives of various sizes, 16 air pistols, one air rifle, seven tasers, eight brass knuckles, nine batons and 10 handcuffs.

Millazzo was arrested the same day and charged with various counts of criminal possession of a weapon, criminal use of a firearm and reckless endangerment.